A Glitch In Real Life
by karatedanceandsing
Summary: When Killua leaves Greed Island to retake the Hunter Exam, he meets a girl with an interesting Nen ability, who can help him beat Greed Island with her technological knowledge. Rated T for violence
1. Meet Techno

"You may begin!" The examiner's voice rang through the enormous hall.

Killua smiled. He was ready for a fresh chance to be a Hunter. He zipped around the hall with small bursts of energy emanating from him. After he had taken a few hundred candidates' tags, he spotted a rather interesting fight. A rather large man with what looked like a club was fighting a girl about his age.

The girl was wearing wearing black yoga pants, a cutoff shirt with a blue jacket over it, and a large pair of headphones draped around her neck. Her eyes were a glowing shade of amber, dark eyeliner adding a dark impact to her icy glare at her opponent. What surprised Killua the most was the building aura around her. While the man was mocking her by allowing her to figure out an attack, the look on her face stated that she already had.

Then, she did something that neither of them would have expected. She picked up her right foot, and began doing a fouette. The man began laughing, telling Killua that he had never heard of _nen._ The faster she spun, the stronger her aura grew. When she stopped spinning, her outfit had enigmatically changed. Her shock of long, red hair was now tied up with a diamond-shaped band. She had a skirt, and short-sleeved short, both of which had a design made up of strictly bits and bytes. Her eyes looked like a computer start-up, as many unknown code names scrolled through her irises. A determined smile topped the whole thing off. Suddenly, she spoke.

"I'm sorry, but there's something that I'm after." Her tone was threatening, and it made the man step back a few steps.

"ERROR 404!" What had happened next could only be described as a glitch. The girl had disappeared, leaving the man and Killua looking around to find her. Killua was distracted from his search when he had noticed the man shouting in pain and twitching uncontrollably. When the latter fell to the ground, the girl was standing behind the convulsing man. She smacked her hands together, grabbed the dead man's tag, and pulled out a silk cloth. Killua had to speak to her, his curiosity peaking.

He started walking towards her, while the girl pulled out a silk cloth. Kill was dumbfounded by the fact that she hadn't noticed him when he was that close to her. She began to spin again, the silk cloth blocking Killua from seeing her. It was then Killua had realized: he had gotten too close to her.

Before Killua had a chance to jump back, his stomach was kicked by an extremely fast foot dawned in a large sneaker. The girl skidded to a stop, and stared at him in horror.

"I'M SO SORRY!" She cried, weakly reaching a hand out to help him. Killua had regained his composure, and stood up straight once again.

"It's fine," he groaned, waving dismissively.

"A-are you okay?" She asked, concerned for the assassin.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Here responded, noting that her outfit had reverted back to its original state.

"Hey, was that your _nen_ ability?" He asked, pointing to the dead man.

"You know about _nen_?" She asked.

"Yeah. That's why I was moving so fast. How does yours work, exactly?"

"I hate to be so distrustful when I just kicked you in the stomach, but why should I tell you? In this challenge, we are enemies. That's how the Hunter Exam works, is it not? In fact, why shouldn't I be fighting you for these tags right now?"

"Good point."

After fighting for a few minutes, Killua decided to throw some conversation into the combat.

"Aren't you going to do that thing again?"

"Are you mocking me?"

"Not really, I'm just curious."

"You know, you have a lot of nerve."

"Fine, then, I won't show you mine."

"You know what, fine! I'll do it."

Killua laughed to himself. He was great with reverse psychology. He watched her spin again, mesmerized by the speed of the tornado that was her feet. He smirked at the battle's change of pace, as he watched her slow down, waiting for the bits and bytes to show up. He was surprised to see that she wasn't in said outfit, but in a purple long-sleeved shirt, blue jeans, and her eyes glowed red.

"What…What _are_ you?" Killua asked.

"Heh…" The girl chuckled, "not human."

Suddenly, faster than the naked eye could follow, she was zipping across the room. Killua activated his _gyo_ to find her, one place to the next. He gasped. She was right behind him. She had black tentacles shooting out of her back, reaching out to get a strangle grip on Killua. A menacing grimace covered her face, burning into his face. Recovering his composure, Killua returned the glare, and sent an electrical current through her tentacles, shocking the monster-like figure. She cried out in pain, falling to the ground. She released her crushing grip, allowing Killua to fall with her. She groaned, pushing herself back up.

"You got some skills," Killua grinned, "too bad you're still not the best."

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP RIGHT NOW!" She screamed, as if the sentence had meant something more. Her voice was distorted, and blood was streaming out of her eyes. She attacked him with no sense of direction, but with great speed. When she had stopped to catch her breath, Killua had noticed a large cut on his arm. They stared at each other for a few seconds. Killua's gave held surprise and impression. The girl's gaze held something that Killua couldn't identify clearly. From what he could infer, it held resentment held back from years of hatred.

"Here," Killua said casually, tossing some of his tags over to her. "Take these."

"Don't take pity on me." She growled, "I'm not weak."

"I'm not saying that you are."

"Then what _are_ you saying?"

"I'm not saying anything."

The girl sighed in frustration, and reluctantly took the tags, and the bag that was unceremoniously dropped on the floor before. They walked towards the exit of the room.

"By the way, I never caught your name."

"I'm Erin." The girl replied, "But my friends call me Techno because I'm so good with electronics."

"And dancing, evidently," Killua smiled, "I'm Killua."

"Oh, that…I guess I should tell you how that ability wired now. I kinda owe you one." Erin loosened up a bit. "I have to do a fouette successfully, and I transform into one of five people. Each of them has their own personality, and power. The two you saw were Error 404, and The Monster. I'm pretty sure you know how their powers work. The other three are Beat, Root, and Knife. Beat listens to music, and with each beat, the enemy gets another injury. It goes on until either the song is over, or the opponent is dead. Knife is basically insane. She just goes for the sharpest object she can find, and goes nuts. Root is the strongest. She uses natural elements to destroy her enemies."

"Whoa. However, you must know that the more setbacks your _nen_ has, the stronger it is. How is it so strong if all you have to do is that spinning thing?"

"It's called a fouette," Erin laughed, "and the setback is that I hear those guys' input on every idea I have. It gets pretty crowded in there!" At this point, the two were laughing like normal friends, and they were at the exit of the large room.

"What took you guys so long?" The examiner asked.

"It took a little while to get everyone's tags. Plus, were had a little… _argument._ " Killua laughed. "So, when's the next phase?"

"That won't be necessary." The examiner stood up. "You have passed the Hunter Exam!"

Killua and Erin smiled, and went on to accept their license. After the ceremony, the two talked for a few minutes.

"So, I guess this is where we part ways. See you." Killua smiled.

Erin frowned, and looked down, "I never asked what you wanted a Hunter license for. If you tell me, I'll tell you what I went here for."

"Okay. I went here for an easier time clearing Greed Island."

" _You were in Greed Island?!_ " She grabbed his shoulders like a fool.

"Um, yeah…" Killua removed her hands.

"Amazing! What was it like? What do you have to do? What are the people like in there?" She seemed utterly fascinated as she asked question after question. Killua just laughed.

"And why are _you_ here?"

"Oh, yeah, that. I came here to prove a point, for one, and two, so I can access more content on the deep web."

"What point?"

"That I have a purpose."

Killua was taken aback with such a statement. "What do you mean?"

"Y'see…I don't exactly get along with my peers where I come from. They were pretty rough. So, I figured that if I was good enough to get a Hunter License, they might take me seriously, and not as another useless nerd."

"You don't need to risk your life to do that!"

"I kind of did."  
Killua rolled his eyes. "So what's this about the deep web?"

"Ah, the deep web! I have extensive knowledge of what lies behind the videos of cats with millions of views. I have some ties with people that run the internet from behind the curtain. With those ties, I've been able to hack into various sites, and do so much more than the average."

"You have _ties_ with _hackers?!_ " Killua's eyes widened.

"Yup."

"How?!"

"Well, we have a bit of a mutual agreement. I exchange information on what targets are up to, and wince they have all of the money, they provide me with needed software. However, they send it to me via raw code. I have to put it together like a puzzle, but it's no problem."

"Whoa. So, what are you planning to do now?"

"To be honest, I have no idea. I'm not exactly ready to go back to the city."

"Is that so?"

"Why wouldn't it be?"

"I don't know."

"Is it okay if I go with you?" Erin had been trying to find the right way to ask since the fight had ended. Before it was too late, she had to go for it.

"That would be great, but you have to have a ring to go inside the game."

Erin suddenly gasped. "I have an idea!"

"What?"

Erin reached into her bag, and pulled a headset.

"What use is that?" Killua asked.

"Well, it's a gaming headset. I used to do a lot of gaming. I could go onto the computer, and communicate with you with this."

"That sounds like a solid plan, except the fact that there are security guards everywhere."

"Leave it to me. Also, when I get in the game from the outside, I can hack the game, and do so much for you and your team."

"Alright." Killua shoved his license in his pocket. "Let's go," he motioned.

"Techno!"


	2. Filthy Hacker

_This is great! I can't wait to go on an adventure!_

 _Shut up, Error._

 _You're so mean, Monster!_

 _Error's right. You should relax!_

 _Not you too, Beat!_

 _We can always just kill them both…_

 _OHHHH, no you don't, Knife!_

 _Oh, come on! Whenever there's an argument, we never go with my ideas!_

 _That's because you only have one idea, and that's to kill everybody! That isn't exactly the best way for the boss to go through everyday life's decisions!_

 _Quit sulking, Knife!_

 _Shut up. All'a you, shut up!_

 _Calm it, Monster!_

 _Says who?_

 _Says ME!_

 _Quiet, both of you, before I shut your excessively large traps with dirt!_

 _Since when were YOU interested, Root?_

 _Since I can't hear myself think with all your noise!_

 _Oh, who GIVES A GRAND CRAP about your SILENCE?!_

 _That's it, Monster! I'm gonna-_

"I'm really excited!" Erin chirped, ignoring the fight in her head.

"Glad to hear it, Techno!" Killua smiled back, suspecting nothing.

As Killua and Erin made their way back to Mr. Battera's mansion, they had several light conversations. They had learned a lot about each other within that time. However, all good things had to come to an end. As the two came upon the mansion, Erin was taken aback by the huge stature of the estate.

"So…you sure you don't need any help taking out those guards?" Killua asked.

"I told you not to patronize me!" Erin ran into the building, Killua following close behind. Killua watched from the shadows as Erin ran behind a pillar to observe the guards. She whispered to him, "Who do you want to see?" Killua took a liking to her fancy-free spirit, and responded, "Beat."

"Heh. No transformation required." Killua raised an eyebrow at the remark, but watched as Erin scrolled through her music, and stepped out in the open, catching the attention of the guards. When the guards ran towards her to throw her out of the mansion, Erin lifted off the ground, confusing everyone. Then, her aforementioned power kicked in. Killua watched in horror at the morbid scene as the security guards turned pale from blood loss, and fell over dead.

"Ha, ha! Skill!" Erin laughed, as she turned around, motioning for Killua to follow her.

When they had finally found the computer room, they said goodbye, and Killua made his way back to Greed Island. Erin slipped on the headset, and turned it on.

"Testing, testing! One, two, one, two! Can you hear me, Killua?"

"Loud and clear!"

"Sweet! So, now that you're back in Greed Island, what are you planning to do?"

"Well, first, I gotta find my friends. Oh, there they are!"

Erin listened to a faint voice in the distance. The voice seemed young, and exuberant.

"Killua! How did it go?"

The faint sound of plastic being waved in the air was picked up by the microphone, along with several joyful cheers. Another voice, female and stern, stepped in.

"Now that you're back, we have to keep training! Gon has made a lot of progress!"

"Before we do, I have to introduce you to someone!"

Erin gulped nervously as Killua pressed a speaker button on his _book_.

"Say, hi, Techno!"

"H-hey! Can you hear me?"

"Yep! This is Gon, here, say hello, Gon!"

"Hello! Who are you?"

"I'm Erin, but my friends call me Techno. Don't wear it out!"

"Ha, ha! So, what are you planning on doing with Greed Island?"

"Well, first of all, I want to see what it's like, or at least hear it. I have a bit of knowledge about technology, hence my nickname. I have some ties with an infamous cyber group, and they give me programming in exchange for information on targets."

"So you're a hacker," Bisky interrupted, a disapproving tone in her voice."

"Got a problem 'bout it, sweetheart?" Erin smirked, oblivious to Bisky's real age.

"Says the girl who didn't make the cut to get in here."

" _First of all,_ " Erin scowled, aggravated, "I'll have you know that I wasn't even there to try out. _Second of all,_ my _nen_ needs a microscope to look at yours."

" _Excuse you?_ "

"Believe it! _Third of all, I can end your life with the push of a button! I'm in the game's database, which means I control everything! The NPCs, the Eye of the Tiger song that may or may not play whenever you train, the very sky you look at, the cards' content, and even the users!_ "

"Prove it!"

The sky went pitch black. There were no stars or anything, just pitch black. The rocks began floating five feet in the air. Bisky's puffy, pink dress inverted colors, and her left hand disappeared. Screams from the oblivious characters filled the air as Erin's face appeared in her _book_.

"You really thought I couldn't?"

"Yes,"

"Admit it. I was right….you were wrong."

"And how did you prove that, exactly?"

"You're kidding. I demonstrated the capabilities of operating everything behind the curtain!"

"So, basically, you used your filthy hacking to prove it."

"So?"

"So I can't trust filthy, sneaky liars like you."

"Y'know what? I was planning on helping you clear the game. I could've let you beat the game in under a second! Now, you've thrown that away."

"Erin, what are you…" Killua began.

"I'm sorry, Killua. I just…I just need a minute."

The speaker went silent after footsteps faded out of the microphone's reach.

"You didn't have to be so harsh, Bisky. She was just trying to help."

"Help? I don't accept help from fools like her."

"Would a fool be able to crack one of the most difficult codes to hack into the world's most infamous game?"

"She thought her _nen_ even _stood a chance_ with mine!"

"I don't think she knew that you were in your fifties. It sure isn't easy to tell, especially when she can only hear your voice."

"Still. I don't want to be affiliated with people like her. The people that she is affiliated with could kill her at any second. They are criminals. That means she had to have picked up on some of their habits. I don't trust her."

"Even if she is in over her head with her 'ties', she knows what she's doing with the technology."

"Yeah, well we'll see about that."

 _Man, we really got off on the wrong foot. I wish I could do it over.'_

 _Nobody cares about your should've, would've, could've attitude, Beat!_

 _This is all your fault, Monster!_

 _Whoa, WHAT?!_

 _You heard me!_

 _Are you out of your friggin' MIND, KNIFE?!_

 _Technically speaking, yes. I was created with no traces of sanity._

 _If that's the case, then WHY are you so calm when you're talking?_

 _You know my habits. I could be ready to kill you at any second!_

 _Okay, you two! Break it up!_

 _Stay out of this, Root!_

 _No! You can't make me! You know I'm stronger than both of you!_

 _Prove it!_

 _Ouch! Lemme go, Root!_

 _Not until you two promise to shut up!_

 _No way, MOM!_

 _My grip's only gonna get tighter from here, Knife._

"Okay, _that's ENOUGH!_ " Erin screamed to the voices. She slumped down to the ground, leaning against a cinder pillar. She buried her face in her arms, and closed her eyes tightly. It always hurt like the Dickens whenever the voices were having an argument. She sighed stiffly, groaning at the splitting headache that deteriorated as Root's grip got tighter. She sighed again, this time in relief as Knife and Monster finally gave in to Root's grip, that had almost killed them at that point. The headache vanished without a trace.

"Crap…" She muttered, standing up again. She decided to take advantage of the mansion's large size to take a walk down the dark hallway and back, taking a solid ten minutes. After a small scare of a thought that gave the possibility that she couldn't find her way back, she had finally found the glowing computer room. She smiled to herself as she heard a faint tune of Eye of the Tiger. However, her laughter was short-lived, as she froze when she heard a few voices.

Peeking inside the room, she noted that the men were not guards, but rather a few players that had left the game briefly to settle an agreement.

"Okay, there are your cards. Now deactivate the bombs."


	3. The War Off-Screen

Bomb? What bomb? Erin had dealt with her alliances making threats with bombs, but they never were serious, and were always just to scare the enemy. She had heard of the gag so many times, she was barely phased by a bomb threat. That was another problem that restricted her from fitting in. Whenever the school did a bomb threat drill, the students were usually quieter than they normally were afterwards. They were caught in a pensive storm of thoughts that shouted, "What if this really happened?" Erin, on the other hand, was never really shocked by the idea. She was her usual self for the remainder of the day, making her stand aloof even more. Her peers seemed to despise her for her insensitivity towards the topic, but the unstoppable hatred was another thing that Erin had gotten used to. The situation deteriorated with each of these predicaments.

However, for some unfathomable reason, Erin found herself unable to move. What was so different about those so-called-bombs that made her so much more frightened? Maybe it had something to do with the fact that this wasn't a mere idle threat. Possibly the fact that These bombs were already activated, and she was only standing a few yards away from a literal ticking time bomb. Either way, she had a nagging fear that she wasn't safe, and that she needed to leave. However, much to her dismay, she stayed where she was for her friends' sake. She needed to find out what was going on so that she could warn Gon, Killua, and even Bisky.

Erin snapped out of her disarray of thoughts when the bomber in question spoke.

"Of course, a deal's a deal." He then placed a hand on the man's shoulder, and the man unexplainably fell to the ground, bleeding out of his mouth.

"However, you must know that I don't keep promises."

The man managed to weakly whisper his last words, "You liar…" The injured man went limp, his eyes still open, frozen in time with the glare of life in his eyes disappearing.

The bomber, revealed to be named Genthru from one of his alliances, turned around to make sure there were no witnesses. Erin couldn't move as his icy cold eyes sat on her, crushing her dauntlessness in the moment with the certainty that her life was also over. Her eyes were wider than the dead man's empty, dead stare.

 _Run, Erin, run!_

 _I'm scared!_

 _…_

 _Well? Say something! Please!_

 _Don't just stand there!_

 _Maybe she should! One wrong move could cause her life!_

 _Screw that! Get outta there!_

"Y…" Erin stuttered, trying desperately to finish her statement.

"You _killed_ him! You took that man's _life!_ What is _wrong_ with you?"

Genthru only laughed, and replied, "You shouldn't have seen that…what to do with a witness?"

"Don't do it… _don't touch me!_ " She cried out, shouting for help.

Meanwhile, Killua, Gon and Bisky had already noticed that something was off outside the game. Gon and Killua had managed to calm Bisky down, and they were ready when Erin was to make up, and move on. The three had really started to panic when they heard Erin screaming after an explosion.

While the three could only listen to what was happening, Genthru was advancing towards Erin, his Little Flower charging up. Erin knew what she had to do. She regained her strength and bravery, sprinting for the headset. She turned on the camera as Genthru's two goons ran after her.

As Erin's face appeared in Killua's _book,_ she shouted, "Run! Genthru's the bomber! He's gonna kill you if you run into him! Get as far away from him as you ca…!" Erin couldn't finish her message in time before Sub and Bara grabbed her arms, and pulled her towards Genthru. His Little Flower was fully charged and ready by then, and he was prepared to kill her. The camera was still on, forcing the three to watch what could be Erin's death.

"We have to help her!" Gon shouted, pulling out a _leave_ card.

"Gon! Are you nuts? We aren't ready!"

"That doesn't matter! We have to help her!"

Erin was losing hope with every inch that was lost between her and Genthru's hand. Suddnely, she remembered how she got this far.

 _Root, I need your help, here!_

 _Yes! Finally, some action!_

A psychotic smile stretched across her face, and she looked up.

" _Natural Born Killer!"_

She broke free of Sub and Bara's grip, and ran to the other side of the room. Her signature fouette made its way into the fight again. Genthru and his goons stayed put, curious to find out what such a pointless move could do in a fight.

When she dragged her foot along the floor to slow down, her outfit had changed again. She was wearing a sleeveless shirt that had a twig circling her shoulder, a large leaf posed on top of it. Her yoga pants had been replaced by a black skirt. Large tree roots swirled around her arms, with whole trunks shooting out of her back, giving an appearance similar to Monster. Her eyes were their usual amber shade, but the whites had turned a shade of dark green. Colorful variations of leaves were intertwined through her cherry hair. Green to orange to red, the leaves made her strong appearance look graceful in the slightest.

Erin seemed to have traded places with Genthru, Sub, and Bara. She was now walking with a confident gait towards a taken aback opponent. The trunks sank into the ground, sprouting back up as separate branches, reaching out for the three men. She surrounded them with branches, squeezing so tightly that they were inescapable. When she pulled them back towards her, Erin chuckled to herself.

"Heh, heh. Bet you didn't see this coming, didn't you?" Erin asked. Nobody answered. She squeezed tighter, earning shouts of pain from the captives. She brought them closer to her face.

" _Answer me! Don't just ignore a problem and expect it to go away!_ "

Sub grinned at an opportunity. He took a piece of broken glass from a table, and slashed one of the roots off of his waist. He looked back at Erin, expecting a shout of pain. Those branches were a part of her, right?… _Right?_

All that Sub got in return was a psychotic laugh that got louder, and more disturbing with each second.

"You moron…you really thought that would work? If you know anything, you would know that trees regrow their branches! Jeez, you know nothing!" Erin scolded as a small branch wrapped around his neck. She strangled longer and longer, until all three were unconscious.

Erin pulled the silk cloth out of her bag again, and reverted back to her normal state. As she let her guard down, she turned away from Genthru, Sub, and Bara to put the headset back on. Her hand froze right above her headset, as a terrible painful feeling shot its way up her leg. Her eyes widened, as she slowly turned her head to look down. She gasped as she attempted to grasp the fact that a chunk of her leg was missing and oozing blood. She collapsed, shouting in pain.

"That's it! I'm going!" Gon shouted.

"Gon, Wait…!"

" _Leave!_ "

Just like that, Gon disappeared in a bright flash of pixels. Killua and Bisky stood still, waiting for nothing in particular.

"Guys! Help!" Gon's voice rang through the wide landscape.

"What happened?" Killua asked, panic lacing his voice.

"Genthru and his sidekicks are gone, presumably back in the game, and Techno's bleeding, badly for that matter! It looks like Genthru burned off part of her leg! I swear, I won't forgive them for this!"

"Bring her back!" Bisky commanded.

"Will I even be able to? She doesn't have a ring!"

"I don't know, try!"

"Okay!"

Gon grabbed Erin's hand tightly, and made his way back inside if the game. When he made it back in, he was happy to find that Erin had stayed intact. He picked up the unconscious girl, and made his way back to Killua and Bisky as fast as humanly possible.

"Techno! What happened?!"


	4. When in Greed Island

"Techno! What happened?" Gon shouted, looking down at the girl he was carrying.

The latter only responded by gasping desperately, a frozen, wide-eyed stare boring into nothing.

As soon as they came into view of Killua and Bisky, the two began shouting for a response. Nothing came.

The trio laid Erin on the ground, scanning her for injuries other than the one on her leg.

" _Book!_ "

"Gon, what are you doing?" Killua shouted, looking up frantically.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm using a Breath of Archangel!"

"What? we only have one!"

"Maybe we do, but there's another one we have more of. _Copy!_ "

A puff of smoke turned the card into two.

 _Whoa, what happened?_

 _In case you haven't noticed, genius, we got a chunk of our leg blown off!_

 _Well, excuse me if I was paying more attention to the crippling, agonizing pain!_

 _Both of you, calm down!_

 _Why should we, Root?_

 _Yeah, why indeed? We kind of have the right to be a bit flustered since we have a giant oozing wound on our leg!_

 _Panicking only makes it worse!_

"Gain!"

After the Breath of Archangel had made its extensive appearance, she asked for a request.

"Heal her injuries!"

"As you wish."

Erin snapped back to reality with a start. She frantically scanned her surroundings.

"Where am I?" She asked, sitting up.

"You're inside Greed Island." Gone replied simply.

"What?! I'm _inside_ the game?"

"Yeah, that's what I just said…"

Erin suddenly looked down, as if she were guilty or ashamed of something.

"What's wrong?" Killua asked.

"I mean, it's amazing that I'm in the game, but I'll just be a nuisance. Sure, I know what _nen_ is, but I've already let the enemy escape, and I've cost you a rare card. I'm so sorry." Erin apologized.

"Nah, it's cool. I used a copy!" Gone smiled childishly as he held up the original card. "Also, I kind of wanted to take on Genthru myself, so I'm a little bit happy they escaped. You still got them bad, though!" Gone laughed. Erin smiled warmly, relieved that she hadn't screwed another thing up.

"You wanna join our team?" Bisky asked.

"You sure?"

"Of course! Now that I've seen your _nen_ , I think you'll be very useful!"

"Thanks…this is so amazing!"

"So, what should we do now?"

"We still have to find Genthru, and we still need to find more cards and train."

Erin jumped to her feet, determined and animated. Training resumed as it normally would.

When night came, Gon and Killua tied the boulders above their heads. Confused yet intrigued, Erin asked Bisky what they were doing.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you! This is how we train for keeping alert when you're asleep! You should do this, too."

"Sounds like a plan! Give me a sec!"

Erin sauntered behind a large rock, and closed her eyes.

 _Hey, guys!_

 _Why are YOU so chipper?_

 _Geez, lighten up! After all, it's rare I actually talk to you myself._

 _Oh, boy, we're SO friggin' excited._

 _Enough lip, Monster._

 _Sure thing, MOM._

 _Everyone, I have a plan!_

 _What plan?_

 _We have to keep awake partially as part of our training. Each of us should take shifts in staying awake._

 _Sounds somewhat decent, but there's a flaw._

 _What's that, Root?_

 _It takes a certain amount of nen to bring us forward. Aren't you going to be drained in the morning?_

 _You bring up a good point, there. That's not necessarily true. It takes a small amount of nen to bring you out, but it drains nen when you fight._

 _Why didn't you tell us, before?_

 _I thought you knew!_

 _We did. Error's just a moron._

 _I am not! You're so mean, Beat!_

 _Ah, I'm just kidding, bro! You're alright!_

 _See that, Monster? You don't see THEM moping for no reason!_

 _Shut up, that's my thing._

 _Well, that must mean you're pretty pathetic._

 _YOU KNOW WHAT YOU LITTLE-_

"Everything okay, Techno?" Gon called, stretching his arms.

"Yep, I'm coming!" Erin smiled.

"What were you doing?"

"Just thinking of a plan!"  
"A plan for what?"

"That doesn't matter. G'night!"

"Night!"

Bisky, being the near superhuman she was, stayed wide awake to watch Erin's method of staying awake for her first night. What she observed amazed her. While Erin was sound asleep, slumped over, she was changing forms in her sleep. Bisky watched in amazement as her appearance changed from Error to Monster to everywhere in between. Every time Bisky's glance shifted to the girl, her grip on the rope remained as strong as if she were awake.

 _*Yawn* I guess it's my turn. The problem is: what am I gonna do to stay awake? Coffee? Nah, that stuff's disgusting. Listen to obnoxious music? Nah, that's Beat's thing, and that's irritating. Eh, I'll just make stuff with twigs. That's my thing, I guess._

The night went on silently and uneventfully for a few hours, until…

 _"_ _OW! AGH, OUCH OUCH OUCH!"_

 _"_ Gon!"

The latter was crouched over, grasping the back of his head. Bisky, Erin, and Killua raced toward him.

"What happened?"

"I…dropped the…boulder again!" Gon's hand slipped from his head, and crashed on the ground in frustration.

Bisky pulled a bandage out of a medical bag, and began tying it around Gon's gravity-defying hair.

"I can't believe I did it again! I have to stay awake! How many times has it been, anyway?!" Gone growled.

"Dude, chill!"

"That's easy for you to say, Killua! You have all of this training! I've dropped this boulder on my head too many times to count, and it HURTS!"

"You have to deep your guard up, Gon," Bisky added as she added another layer of bandages to cover up the blood-drenched ones. "That way, you'll have a better chance of winning a battle."

"That's my point!" Gon's eyes shot up towards Erin, as if he was expecting her to say something.

"What…?" Erin finally asked.

"Why…are you here?"

Erin was taken aback by the question.

"I mean, why did you want to get this far?"


	5. The Phone Call

"U-Um…" Erin stammered, uncomfortable by Gon's question. "I guess you could say that I wanted to prove something…"

"Prove what…and to who?" Gon inquired further.

"Well…um…"  
"Spit it out, Erin!" Killua interrupted.

"There was this girl…she was basically my only friend when I was little. I thought we would stay the closest forever. But…as it turned out, she wasn't my real friend. She just used me for attention. When I found this out, she stopped bothering with me, and it left me pretty upset. Some hardcore stuff happened afterwards. I still can't grasp the idea that I had no real friends back th…" Erin wasn't able to finish her explanation when her cell phone rang. An awkward silence hit like a speeding car, until Killua asked who it was.

Erin pulled the phone out of her pocket, and gasped.

" _HER…_ " She whispered. Her aura accelerated, terrifyingly full of malice. Gon stepped away, unaware of her current state of mind towards 'her'.

"Yeah, that girl kind of makes her insane. You should see the darker parts of her _nen_." Killua said quietly. They turned their eyes to the barely contained girl as she accepted the call.

 _IT'S HER. IT'S HER. LET US OUT, ERIN!_

 _Yeah. When Techno's going nuts, you KNOW DARN WELL THAT WE ARE, TOO!_

 _Hey, Knife! Let me in on some of this! Where are the dolls?_

 _No! They're all mine!_

 _Root, make some dolls to destroy outta wood or something!_

 _If I get to kill some, too!_

 _Be my guest!_

 _M…Monster?_

 _…_

 _She's starting to freak me out._

 _…_ _Screw this. I'm getting out of here. Whether Erin wants this or not. If we can get through the stupid phone call, I'm out as soon as that's over._

"What do _you_ want?"

"Where have you been?" A faint voice could be heard.

"Why do I even have your number?" Came the cold reply. Cold as ice.

"Answer my question."

"Why should I? You never gave a crap about what I had to say."

" _What?!_ " The response was heard clear through the phone.

"You know what I'm talking about!"

"No, I don't!"

"…" Erin stood in silence for what seemed like an eternity. Then she started laughing. It was quiet, but then turned psychotic and horrific.

When her laugh died down, she put the phone back up to her ear, and scowled, "I can't believe it."

The girl on the other end had no response. Erin heard nothing but heavy breathing.

"What's the matter? Can't handle the nature of your consequences?" Erin broke the silence.

"Y-You…" She tried to speak.

"I what? What?" Erin forced.

"You're insane…!"

" _Freakin' right!_ That's what _you've_ done to me! I was happy although you were my only… _fake friend._ Now, I found that you just wanted me to use for attention! _I am not some…some TOOL for you to use and dispose at your will!_ " Erin shouted, louder than ever.

"I did _not_ -…"

" _That's the stupidest thing I have ever heard! You can't deny what you did! It was the most obvious thing ever!_ " Erin and the other girl were both shouting at this point.

A long silence spread like a virus, until finally, the girl spoke.

"You should have…you should have just gone with it and died."

Erin dropped the phone, cracking the screen. Gon looked at it to notice that Erin's profile picture for her was presumably the girl, but she had photoshopped horrible injuries on her. He was to furious to be bothered by this, however, and when he picked up the phone, he to was shouting.

" _What did you say to her?!_ "

"Wh-I…"

" _Answer me!_ "

While Gon was screaming at the girl, Killua was trying to ask Erin the same question. Erin said nothing, but just stared at the ground, wide-eyed. She wasn't aware of anyone else until Killua grabbed her shoulders forcefully.

"Erin…say something!" Killua and Bisky shouted.

Everyone's attention was drawn to Gon as he growled into the phone, " _You irredeemably evil, despicable monster._ " He them hung up, and dropped the phone.

By this point, the other three had already sat down. Erin's face was buried in her knees.

"What did she way?" Bisky asked, motioning to Erin, "She wouldn't tell us anything."

Gon told them what the girl had said, sitting down as well. Erin tightened her grip on her black pants. Killua and Bisky seemed confused, but nonetheless, worried for Erin.

No one spoke for a very long time. Erin, finally telling everyone of her grudge, felt an inexplicable weight being lifted off of her shoulders. She was no longer to pretend that the quarrel had never happened, and that she was completely normal.

"Well, I'm going to bed." She concluded, staring at the dirt beneath her.

The other three were stunned by her sudden change of mind, treating the phone call as if nothing had ever happened. However, they were able to recollect, and went back to sleep as well.

The rest was short-lived. A few hours later, Bisky was shaking Gon and Killua awake.

"Bisky? What are you doing? We still have time to sleep!" Killua mumbled groggily. Risky pointed at Gon for the answer. Gon was staring in horror, as he slowly lifted a finger to point at Erin. She was convulsing violently and nearly screaming in agony.


	6. Race to Antokiba

"What's happening to her?" Killua asked, snapping awake at the sight.

"I don't know, but it has something to do with her _nen_. It's out of control. See for yourself!"

Leave it to Bisky to put an exercise in such a situation. Gon and Killua reluctantly activated their _gyo_ , and watched, horrified, as her aura accelerated uncontrollably. She was practically pouring out malice. Her face contradicted the nature of her aura, however, as her expression showed nothing short of pure fear.

Sudden realization struck Killua. "Her personalities are trying to escape!"

Bisky and Gon whipped their heads around to face the white-haired boy. "That makes sense…but I thought she wasn't angry!" Gon pointed out.

"Oh, yes she is! You saw her on the phone! Her aura was barely contained!" Bisky reasoned.

Erin's eyes shot open, but she was not aware of her environment. She was in the same state, breathing heavily and sweating like crazy. She finally let out a long, loud scream of pain, blood spilling from her mouth. Gon, Killua, and Bisky, who had deactivated their _gyo_ at this point, noticed that something was terribly wrong. They felt the sense to reactivate their _gyo_ , and were glad that they did. They watched in confusion and panic as five figures ran in separate directions.

"Erin!" Gon shouted, bringing Killua and Bisky back to the current situation. Erin was now limp, breathing even heavier, her eyes wide open, with more blood coming from her mouth.

"She's in shock; It's no use!" Bisky stated as she stopped Gon and Killua from shaking Erin's shoulders in a profusely violent manner. The latter slowly let go of Erin, looking back up at their mentor.

"What do we do now?" Gon asked, recalling the five figures…and the incredulous amount of hostile aura emanating from them.

"Well, one thing's for sure: we need a plan." She began. "Killua, you're coming with me to catch the other personalities. Gon, you stay here to make sure that Erin is safe. We need to do this quickly. The faster we get them back, the faster Erin has her _nen_ back."

Bisky was about to say something else, but Gon interrupted her thought.

"How will you get the personalities? There's nothing we can do to take them. They're made of _nen_." He pointed out.

"They may be made of _nen_ , but they _are_ tangible." Bisky pointed out.

"Those personalities are created to be fought. That means we should be able to knock them out and bring them back." Killua added.

"Alright. Let's go!" Bisky shouted.

Within but a few seconds, Gon watched his friends' silhouettes fade to nothing.

Turning back to Erin, who was slightly recovered at this point, Gon began to ask Erin if she was okay. By now, Gon knew that this wasn't one of the best questions, keeping in mind that she looked like she was having a seizure but a few seconds ago. Still, he felt obligated to ask.

"I guess," She sat up, rubbing her head. "That was messed up."

"Yeah, no kidding. You were terrifying us!" Gon sighed in relief, happy that Erin was capable of coherent speech.

"What was it like?" Gon asked. "What happened exactly?"

"Well…" Erin was trying to find a way to explain her experience. "During the phone call, everyone was going nuts. Even Error, and she's usually cooled off within a few seconds. Monster was the one who made it possible for the others to escape. She smashed the barrier between my head and reality, and let the others climb out."

"Is that a permanent thing?" Gon asked.

"No, don't worry. The barrier rebuilds once everyone is back where they belong. I need to break that barrier whenever I bring one of those guys out." Erin reassured, smiling slightly.

"What are they going to do?" Gon asked after a few seconds.

"That's what worries me. When they leave in a state like this, who knows what they'll do? They might attack everyone they see! Well, Knife's pretty much like that all the time, and Monster's kinds like that, too, but at a time like this, they're all dangerous." Erin looked down.

"It'll be fine! Killua and Bisky are going out for them now! This whole mess'll be done with real soon!" Gon tried to start an optimistic attitude to the conversation.

"What? They went _after them_?! We have to go get them!" Erin panicked.

"No, they'll be fine!" Gon was trying to convince himself as much as he was Erin, as he was still filled with worry.

 _Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill._

 _It doesn't matter where we go or who we kill. We just have to kill._

 _Nothing else matters._

 _We need to see blood._

 _The sweet serenity of the screams as they watch their own guts being ripped apart._

 _The warm embrace of crimson blood._

 _We long for it._

 _We will do whatever it takes to feel it once again._

 _We are addicted to death._

Killua and Bisky ran for miles, following each faint shadow in the moonlight that they could locate in the piercing darkness. They were struck with horror as they realized where they were chasing a personality into.

Antokiba.

City of prizes.

They were going for populated areas. They had to be stopped before a massacre so great occurred, the very moon above them would be splattered with blood of countless victims.

"Run! Hide! There are murderers on the loose in the cities!" Killua and Bisky desperately tried to warn the citizens.

"Of course there are! This is Greed Island!" A random voice shouted angrily from a mob of people.

Their hunt ended when a chaotic frenzy of screams shot through the air. Running instantaneously to find the personality that caused the first death, Killua and Bisky were met with a convict that they had never seen before, but was undoubtedly one of Erin's personalities.

She was wearing a navy hoodie, with dark jeans to match them. She had no shoes on, causing random pieces of glass to cut up her feet. The hair was still bright red, but it was a total mess, strewn about, which upped the insane look. Her eyes glowed purple, and then…they brought their attention to the grotesque murder.

The victim at her feet was barely identifiable as a human, as it looked like a lump of squishy meat, and nothing more. Intestines and organs oozed out of the corpse, with blood covering the ground for at least a few feet. One thing was remaining, however. The frozen look of terror on the victim's face was sickening to say the least.

"Oh, are you dead already~?" A playful, yet psychotic voice sang. Killua and Bisky gasped at the murderer as they notices what she was doing. She was covered in blood, splattered all over her from head to toe. She was holding a large machete in one hand, and the victim's heart in another. She looked slightly amused by how the detached muscle still throbbed in her hand, as she giggled softly. This laugh got louder and louder, and more horrifying with each second, until the deranged killer was howling insanely.

Killua stepped back. It was Knife. At least, he thought it was. To avoid being sliced open for something as stupid as getting its name wrong, he called out, "Hey, you!"

The girl's blissful smile faded to a look of irritation and disturbance.

"I have a name," she laughed, "Killua Zoldyck."

How did she know his name? Maybe it had something to do with the fact that Erin knows who he is. Whatever, that didn't matter. What mattered was stopping it in its tracks.

"Well? Are you just going to stand there?" Killua snapped out of his thoughts.

"You have one chance for peace. Return to where you belong." Bisky warned. Knife laughed.

"Oh, really? What're you gonna do about it?" She giggled. She stopped laughing when she felt the great amount of aura in the area. She too readied herself for battle, emitting a long laugh.

"This is wonderful! Just wonderful! Now I get to add to my collection of corpses!"

Ignoring the comment, Bisky and Killua dived head-in to the fight. Knife seemed to be bored with their fighting style, dodging each of Killua's attacks with her eyes closed, moving in a graceful, almost melodic way. Killua stopped suddenly.

"What? Have I tired you out already? Man, this sucks! I was ready for something less anti-climatic!" Knife mused.

Killua smirked. "Yeah, I'm done, but so are you. Look behind you." Knife turned around, and her face was but a few inches away from Bisky. With one swift chop to Knife's neck, the fight was over.

Killua threw the personality over his shoulder, only to have it disappear within a few seconds.

"What the…?" he turned to face Bisky

"It probably had something to do with the fact that it was unconscious…?" Bisky shrugged. Refocusing on the task at hand, Killua and Bisky ran off to find the next personality.


	7. Knock Out

"You doing okay?" Gon asked again.

Erin laughed, "Yes, for the umpteenth time!" She gasped suddenly, but seemed totally fine after a few seconds.

"What happened?" Gon asked.

Erin closed her eyes and held a finger up, signaling for Gon to wait. "Knife, what have you done?"

 _What I usually do,_

"Yeah? Well, no matter how much you want to, you can't go around, killing people, not matter how upset we are."

 _That's my thing! It's what I was created for!_

"Control yourself."

 _Whatever._

"Sulking isn't gonna do anything," Erin laughed again. She opened her eyes, smiled, and looked back up at Gon.

"I take it one of them is back?" He asked.

"Yep! Killua and Bisky must be doing their job well!" Erin reassured.

"Evidently," Gon sighed, relieved that his friends were doing well.

 _Man, it's boring in here. This sucks! I can't believe I'm the first one back! What am I gonna do, now? Hmm, maybe I can make predictions. I bet Error's gonna be back next. She was always the worst fighter of us all._

Meanwhile, Killua and Bisky were headed towards the next city over, Aiai. There, it didn't take long for the two to find Error and Beat, fighting side-by-side. They, too, were laughing, but it sounded more like they were actually enjoying themselves. Poking holes in passerby's, and frying the brains of random citizens, they danced across the streets like it was all a big stage. The bright, pink lights shined in each of their wonder-filled eyes as their mouths couldn't contain a genuine smile.

When their eyes fell upon the Hunters, they waved and called out for them.

"Killua! Bisky! Wanna join us? It's really nice!" Error shouted.

"Yeah! We went out here to blow off some steam…but y'know, this city is really beautiful!" Beat added cheerfully.

Taken aback by their effervescence, Killua responded, "I'll pass. You should stop attacking everyone in sight, you know. Erin's waiting for you!" Bisky nudged Killua's shoulder, making him realize that most of the remaining citizens were hiding, so there was no need to shout.

"I'm all for being with Erin, and all, but no way! This is too much fun!" Error laughed, twirling around as she took in the city's lights.

"Look, we hate to kill your fun, but you could enjoy yourself another time, and in another way." Bisky reasoned.

"Just a few more minutes!" Beat begged.

"Come on! Let's go!" Error laughed mischievously. In a flash, the two ran off, Killua and Bisky in close pursuit. Bisky bursted ahead, catching up and knocking them out quickly.

"Don't worry," Killua panted, "We'll let you see Aiai again soon!"

The two disappeared in the same fashion as Knife, finishing their battle.

 _Ugh, show up already! I don't want to be mocked that much._

 _Oof! Rough landing, there._

 _Beat?_

 _In the flesh, bro~_

 _Wow, I thought Error would be here first._

 _She's not far behi-_

 _Ow!_

 _…_ _There she is._

Erin sighed and closed her eyes again.

"What is wrong with you guys?"

 _Come on! We were having such a wonderful time!_

"Yeah, well, you can't just kill people if they are in your way."

 _But…_

"Look, sorry to kill your fun…no pun intended…but you have to enjoy yourselves some other way. Something tells me you liked the city more than killing."

 _Jeez, you're good._

"Well, I am your creator, after all. How about we all go to the big city again?"

 _Can we go when it's dark?_

"Of course!"

 _…_ _So, now what?_

"We just wait for the others, and then we go back to sleep."

 _That is, if the sun isn't out by then._

"Shut up, Knife."

"Wait, I'm confused," Gon interrupted, "how many of them are in there now?"

"Three," Erin opened her eyes. "Error and Beat came together."

Gon nodded. Three down, two to go.

When Killua and Bisky found Root in Masadora, she had done the most damage, more than even Error and Beat combined. Corpses littered the streets, with twigs laying a path to find the personality. They followed the trail until the twigs got bigger and turned into branches, branches turned to trunks, and trunks turned into the rugged, elongated roots. Root seemed to be the first one not to be smiling of any nature, rather with an agitated, disturbed look.

She grabbed a random, mortified girl off of the streets, and wrapped her torso completely in branches. Blood oozed out of the branches, having poked holes in the girl's sides. She groaned loudly, trying to hold back a scream. She squeezed harder and harder, letting out a few audible snaps of the ribs. The girl couldn't hold back anymore, and let out a blood-curdling shriek. Root ignored this and only squeezed harder. Finally, the torture ended, as a sickening crunch and squishing noise resonated through the city, causing the other citizens to scream louder. A man shouted at Root, and tried to attack her. Root wrapped her branches around him, preparing him for the same fate.

She was just about to start squeezing, when Killua called out. She turned her head, and scowled at the two.

"Put him down." Bisky commanded. Root laughed.

"What do you take me for?" She whirled around completely.

"My lesser."

"Ha!" She laughed hysterically. She wasted no time in attacking the two, leaving the traumatized man to run away as fast as he could.

Killua was the first to attack, thrashing his way through a barricade of branches. When he finally reached Root, his arms were severely scratched and mangled. He reached out swiftly, snapping several branches with brute strength. While those branches regrew, Killua was face to face with Root. Her hands were held down with trunks, giving Killua the perfect opportunity to knock her out.

 _Great. Just great. Now what?_

"I'll tell you what, Root." Erin closed her eyes again, catching Gon off-guard. Remembering her motives, he relaxed a little, knowing that one was back. He was so deep in thought, he forgot that Erin was talking to Root until she opened her eyes.

"Well, Root's back," She announced.

"I could've guessed." Gon smiled.

"They still have one left, and she worries me the most."


	8. The Final Challenge

After several well-placed red herrings, Killua and Bisky had finally reached the city that Monster had plagued.

Masadora. City of magic.

Bisky caught Killua's attention when she jumped into a nearby tree. The former followed suit.

"Okay; we need a plan, as aforementioned." She explained, "we have to knock her out, but we can't kill her. That would be hurting more than helping."

"Agreed, but what are we going to do?"

"Um…we should probably use cards in this battle."

"No duh! I thought that was already established!" Killua shouted. Risky shoved a hand over his mouth.

"You idiot! Now she knows where we are! We have no time to come up with a plan, thanks to you, genius!"

Killua was about to say something, but his thought was interrupted by a sharp chortle. He whipped his head around to see Monster holding a girl's head by her hair, blood staining her scarlet hair.

"Don't tell me you actually think you can get me to go back there! Screw that!" She scoffed, a sinister grimace sprawled across her blood-stained face. Her unnoticed tentacles stretched out, flicking off chunks of flesh and the sort.

Killua and Bisky jumped out of the tree, landing gracefully on their feet, and preparing themselves to fight.

Meanwhile, Erin was starting to feel drained, and Gon had noticed.

"Are you okay?" He asked again as her head drooped again.

Erin nodded, "Mm-hm. I'm just a little tired, that's all."

"Why? You were totally fine a few minutes ago!"

"Prolonged _nen_ use makes you tired, right? I mean, it's not like I can't keep it up for less than an hour; I can keep one at a time out for a day or two if I have too. However, each of them take certain amounts of power to bring out. When they jump out at the same time, it's using all of my energy, making me so tired…" Erin mumbled, drifting off at the end.

It took Gon a while to grasp the idea, but he eventually did. "Why don't you rest?" He asked after a few seconds.

"If I do…they'll…just g…get back out…" She scratched her head vigorously, trying to stay awake.

"Why don't they break out when you sleep normally?"

"When all of them are there, the wall rebuilds, and they're drained too, so they restore their sanity and go to sleep."

Gon turned his head back around and stared at the serene moon. _They're definitely going to get her back!_

Things weren't going well in the fight. Bisky had a nasty gnash on her right leg, but was still standing. Killua was in the grasp of the motiveless malice. He struggled as hard as he could, but he couldn't budge. Monster opened her illuminated, bright red eyes and laughed in a manner similar to Knife. When she opened her mouth, thick trails of blood oozed and fell in strings from her teeth, pooling at her feet.

"Look, I hate to do this, but I gotta kill ya now." She sighed, lifting one of Killua's arms up.

"Hmm, how should I go about this? If I just simply rip the arm off, it'll cut off a vital passageway for blood, and he'll bleed to death within a few minutes…but I wanna make him suffer! I guess I could just start with the fingers."

Monster soon realized her mistake. She was talking too much. Before she could take any action, Bisky was behind her. Dropping Killua by mistake, she swung a tentacle around in a vain attempt to hit Bisky. Killua took this advantage, and knocked her down. Monster wrapped her tentacles around him again, but she dropped him again almost as fast when Bisky hit her neck. She vanished unceremoniously.

The two quickly congratulated each other on their win, and ran as fast as they could back to the base.

By the time they had gotten back, Erin was out cold. They followed suit after a short conversation.

"We have to make sure that this doesn't happen again." Bisky stated as she wrapped her leg, blood staining the cloth.

"Agreed. But how?" Kill rubbed his shoulder.

"We train her _nen_. We build up the wall, but keep it accessible."

"How will that work?"

"We build up trust, and make it harder for them to lash out when unexpected."

"I see…"

"To do that, however, we need to get a good night's sleep. Hang up the boulders, and get some rest!"

The students happily complied.

 _So, I guess we got caught, huh?_

 _Shut up, Error._

 _Jeez, all of you!_

 _Can you blame us?_

 _As a matter of fact, yes!_

 _Just shut up and go to bed._

 _Fine. You could've asked a little nicer, though. We have a full day ahead of us, so we should approach it with an open and clear mind!_

 _I appreciate your positive outlook, Error, but is now really the best time?_

 _Just…goodnight, guys._

 _Shut up, Error._

 _Hm…you guys just sound like the kids back home._


	9. Regardless

The next morning, just when the golden sun was peeking out from the frost-dusted mountaintops, Team Gon got up at this early hour to start the day off with a half- hour long meditation session. They climbed to the top of the precipice that hid them from the rest of the world. They activated their _zetsu_ in hopes to conceal their presences and rejuvenate themselves for the new day.

As Bisky watched her students, her eyes couldn't help but fall upon the newest member rather frequently. She was rather surprised to find that there was not a trace of madness or disturbance in her _aura_. She had to wonder, _did some sort of reset happen? What exactly is the process of her nen?_

When the meditation session ended, the team had decided to split the personalities' training up by the hour.

 _So…how're we gonna decide who goes first, second, and so on?_

 _I'm so glad you asked, Root! We are going to compete in the event that can be casual or deathly intense! We are going to compete in the event that settles who can win the Super Bowl, or who gets the last bite of cake! We are going to compete in…_

 _Oh, jeez, you're making too big a deal out of a stupid game of-_

 _ROCK PAPER SCISSORS!_

 _Just get it over with. Winner plays Beat. Last one standing goes last._

Error was first. Bisky watched in astonishment as Erin spun around and around again, skidding to a stop while giggling childishly. Her binary-clad skirt fluttered down gracefully as she opened up her similarly patterned eyes.

"Alright, so Gon, you're sparring me. Killua, you're sparring Erin."

"OSU!" The three shouted in unison. As the two groups separated to have more room, Error whispered to Killua.

"By the way, no offense to the boss or anything, but I'm not Techno! Just call me Error!" She gave a cheerful, good-natured smirk as they stopped walking.

Killua charged at full speed towards the eccentric personality. "Bring it!"

Faster than Killua had ever seen, Error zipped out of the way. It was significantly faster than when she and Beat were wreaking havoc on Aiai. It almost seemed like…

"Hey! Killua! I have a confession!" She beamed.

"Don't tell me…" he mumbled.

"Yeah…sorry, but we kind of went easy on you. I didn't want anyone to get hurt."

"But…I thought you didn't give half a crap about who got hurt."

"Doesn't mean we have no judgement~" Error sang.

After the sun had gone down, Bisky gathered everyone around.

"We are digging our way straight to Aiai!"

"What do you mean? Aiai is above ground." Erin questioned over Gon and Killua's disappointed groans.

Bisky turned Erin's shoulders to face the giant rock in front of them. "…Oh…"

Lucky for Gon and Killua, they had already learned how to use _shu,_ and were ready to teach Erin how to, as well. It took her a little while to grasp the concept, but she eventually got it. When she did, the trek went smoothly.

Hours later, they set their shovels down in satisfaction. "Well, it took forever, but we finally dug our way sideways to Aiai!" Gon sighed. The others nodded in agreement, until Killua finally asked the dreaded question.

"Alright, I'll bite. What are we going to do now that we're here?"

"Celebrate for an hour or two, I guess, then we dig our way back. Look! They're about to light up the heart!" Bisky tried to derail in a feeble attempt to distract the other three from getting mad. The latter rolled their eyes and looked up.

"Whoa!" They all said simultaneously. They were blown away by the size of the plastic heart, and found themselves unable to move. It was if all of the horrible slaughters, robberies, and fighting had never happened, and there was just a moment of pure happiness.

When the three let the sight set in, the celebrated for a short while, then head back. It was much easier the second time, Erin being adjusted.

When they finally made their way back to the training area, it was somewhere around 2 in the morning. Naturally, they fell asleep without a second thought.

 _Okay, Beat, you're taking the night shift._

 _Fiiine…_

 _It sure was nice to see the big city lights again, right, Beat?_

 _It sure was!_

 _Well, I'm going to bed! 'Cause unlike you, I can!_

 _Shut up, Error._

 _I think I will! That's because I can go to bed, unlike-_

 _I SAID SHUT UP!_

The next day, Team Gon got a message via Contact during their meditation. Bisky opened her Book and answered.

"This is Genthru," The voice announced. Got stood up.

"What do you want from us?!" He shouted. Bisky quickly hit the top of his head, listening for a response.

"We're coming." With that, the message shut off. Killua and Erin gathered around Bisky's Book.

"Well, crap. Nice going, Gon!" They growled.

Suddenly, something clicked in Erin. "I have an idea!"

"Hmm? What?"

"Y'know how I said that I have ties with hackers?" She recalled.

Bisky rolled her eyes. "Unfortunately,"

Erin scoffed and continued, "Maybe I can hack the game and get rid of…"

"No way!" All of the others shouted.

"Wh-why not? It's the most logical way out!"

"This game was created to train him," Killua pointed at Gon, "we can't just cheat our way out! That's not how life works!"

"Well, maybe not, but you should use knowledge to your advantage! The power you have when you work behind the scenes is insurmountable!"

"Cheating isn't the way to do this. That's final."

"First of all, who do you think you are? A Disney channel character? Second of all, you can go out and throw your lives away if you want, but I just think that's impractical."

Killua turned around. "We're fighting. That's final."

"I need a minute." Erin walked the opposite direction, and once she was out of sight, she made a quick phone call.

"Hey, Red? Yeah, it's Techno. Listen, I'll need your help with this game. What'll it cost me for the files? Seriously? Fine. I'll find out and wire it too you ASAP. Yeah, I need an elimination hack. For Greed Island. Yeah. Just shut up and get to the point. Yeah, yeah, whatever. Yeah, my computer has space for that. 'Kay. Thanks. Bye."

Erin made her way back to the rocky area and began tapping away at her cell phone. She was a hacker, regardless of what morals or values the others had.


	10. A Hacker's Code

_Y'know, I like the feeling of doing the opposite of what I'm told to do, but I feel kinda bad for them._

 _No time for sympathy. They'll thank us later._

 _Man, you're cold, Root._

 _You have no room to talk, Beat._

 _Yeah, I do!_

 _Not when we get tangled up with-_

 _Shut up. Now._

 _See?_

 _Shut. Up._

 _Look, let's just drop the subject and get back to reasoning. If we wallow any longer, Boss'll fall off of that cliff 'cause of lack of concentration._

 _Gahhhh, fine._

 _Okay, so we need to make it seem like we didn't make that call, and we're still mad at them._

 _Yeah, but it'd be suspicious if we took that time, and we didn't cool down at all._

"Hey, Techno, you okay?" Gon asked, waving a hand in front of her face.

After a few seconds, she blinked, "Ah, um, I'm sorry, what? Lost in thought there…"

 _Nailed it._

"Well, Genthru's almost here, so we have to be ready."

"Yeah,"

Before the group could continue discussing a plan, a bright light in the middle of the sky grew closer and closer. When the star-like object crashed through the ground, Team Gon readied themselves for what could be their last battle.

"Killua! Erin! You take Sub! I'll take Bara. Got, you can get Genthru."

The group split up accordingly.

"Hey, Techno? Can I ask something?" Killua shouted.

"Now might not be the best time when we're about 'ta die!" Erin shouted back.

"Would'ja mind if you let me take this one mostly?"

"What? No way! I gotta help you out _somehow_!"

"Just trust me! I have a few experiments I wanna try out!"

"…Oh, fine. I'm still going to help you out!"

Killua laughed merrily at her determination. "Yeah, yeah, sure! I'll buy you some time to get ready!"

Still running, Erin crossed her arms. "Not like I'll need it, or anything."

Killua laughed again as they arrived at the plain where they'd be fighting. Sub, growing impatient with their lack of fear, started fighting immediately. Erin respectively backed out as Killua waved her out of the battlefield. Disappearing into the dense forrest surrounding the flatland, Erin climbed a tree, and closed her eyes.

"Okay, guys! Get up! We're going out for battle!"

 _Really?! Woo hoo!_

 _It's been so long since I've snapped a good neck!_

 _Yeah! My hands are aching just thinking about it!_

Erin laughed, "Don't get too ahead of ourselves. I'm not one to be cocky, but this guy's nothing special."

 _Ooh! Ooh! Lemme take this guy! I have an idea!_

"Alright, you're up. You better be ready!"

 _You know it!_

Killua was in the middle of his second experiment as Error hopped out of the trees.

"Sheesh. Overly dramatic entrance much?" He grinned.

"Naturally," Error grinned back, laughing in an effervescent fashion. "Besides, I have an idea!"

"What would that be?"

"Check this…the coolest experiment ever…electricity plus Error 404!"

"Go for it!"

Erin started the attack, glitching across the field behind Sub, and hit him with her attack. Just when he started glitching out too, rendering him immobile, Killua hit him with a lightning attack. Sub soon disappeared into a ball of smoke and blood. Killua and Erin stared on in fascination, smiles slowly growing on their face.

"That was… _awesome!_ " Erin laughed, slapping Killua on the back.

"I know! Now that that's over, we have to go help Gon!"

"Okay…but are you sure Bisky will be okay?"

Killua shuddered, "Trust me. I'm sure she'll be okay." _That's right_ , he thought, _she still doesn't know how old she is…_

When the two caught up to Gon, Bisky was already there, and things weren't looking good. Both of them looked like they had taken several Little Flowers, while Genthru had almost no damage taken.

Killua and Erin ran into the fight, only to be quickly knocked back to give Genthru the perfect opportunity to use a rope item to tie Gon and Bisky to a tree.

"Erin! I'll hold him off. You get someone new out. Someone powerful." Killua suggested.

"A-…are you sure you'll be okay?"

Killua chortled, "Don't underestimate me. Of course I'll be fine." And with that, he ran straight for Genthru.

Erin wasted no time in her transformation into what was going to be Monster. However, Killua Couldn't buy her enough time. He spent about ten seconds fighting Genthru, but was hit by a Little Flower and thrown into a tree.

" _Killua!_ " Erin stopped spinning instantaneously, and was left in an abomination of a personality. She had tentacles on one side, and her other side was composed of random, incomprehensible code.

 _Monster! Error! Are you two okay?_

 _It..hurts! Make it stop!_

 _That's it! We're using it! Get back here!_

 _But…_

 _Just get your sorry butts back in here and use it!_

The abomination disappeared, leaving Erin defenseless and scared.

"Erin! What the heck do you think you're doing? Do something!" Bisky shouted.

" _Book!_ " Erin shouted, pulling out a thumb drive from her jacket pocket. She held it in front of her teammates with a hesitant, worried look.

"Do you guys trust me with your lives?" She asked, holding the thumb drive over a USB port.

"Yes!" Bisky shouted, "Just do it!"

Killua nodded.

Gon looked down, obviously disappointed, but nodding slowly, realizing that there was no other choice.

"Sorry, Gon." Erin said as she shoved the thumb drive into the USB port, a new window popping up in her book.

 _Enter elimination code:_

Erin entered a series of numbers and letters, makingabsolute sure that she was correct, and slammed her hand on the "enter" button.

It all happened in a flash. Genthru disappeared into a mess of jumbled code in a matter of seconds, but so did the trees surrounding him. Any blade of grass, any ant, or any living thing that touched them became part of the disoriented code. Bisky, Gon, and Killua caught up to Erin, who was now shouting for them to run.

"What the heck's going on?! Is that what was supposed to happen?" Got shouted.

"No! It was just supposed to make Genthru disappear! I think the file was damaged!"

They ran into the next city, where the code seemed to hit a wall. As soon as they were safe, Gon sighed in disappointment.

"Gon, I'm sorry that I couldn't give you the victory you wanted, but it was the only thing we could do!"

Gon said nothing, but sat down with the others.

"…But I have something that will cheer you up, Gon."


End file.
